BBC and ITV stars go head-to-head on water for Sport Relief

Hoping for glory for the BBC are Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox, BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker, Top Gear’s Rory Reid, newsreader Sophie Raworth, Countryfile’s Ellie Harrison and Radio 1 DJ Dev Griffin.

Finding their sea legs for ITV are Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins, TOWIE star and presenter Ferne McCann, Coronation Street’s Nicola Thorp, Emmerdale’s Chris Bisson, Benidorm’s Jake Canuso and Love Island star Chris Hughes.

The teams get to grips with their oars with the help of some rowing greats. Double Olympic gold-medallist James Cracknell OBE is team captain for the BBC and two-time Olympic champion Helen Glover takes the helm for ITV.

Five time Olympic Gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave provides expert advice to both teams ahead of the gruelling 1,200-metre race at Salford Quays and expert Coxswains, Olympic Gold Medallist Garry Herbert and Olympic Silver Medallist Zoe de Toledo, are on hand to offer guidance and tips to help one team row to victory.

Viewers will see which team is crowned champion of the ‘Clash of the Channels Boat Race: BBC vs ITV’ when it airs on BBC One on Friday 23 March as part of Sport Relief, which this year is preceded by a week of activity from 17 – 23 March.

The brave crew members have been training for the past eight weeks –applying the expert advice passed on by Sir Steve Redgrave and their team captains.

Sir Steve said: “Training for such a synchronised team sport like rowing is going to be a huge challenge for all of them. They’ll need explosive energy, stamina and a great sense of timing, so anything could happen!

Both teams have got world-class captains to lead them to the finish line. It’s going to be a fantastic effort with some good old-fashioned rivalry thrown in. I can’t wait to see who wins.”

Sport Relief is the biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport. Sport Relief brings the nation together to get active, raise money and change lives and this year is asking the great British public to take part in a national challenge to beat a billion steps a day, every day, for the week of Sport Relief. All the money raised will go towards helping vulnerable people, across the UK and the world, to live happier, healthier and safer lives.